Miners head to their vehicle after their shifts trying to rescue six trapped coal miners at the entrance to the Crandall Canyon Mine on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2007, northwest of Huntington, Utah. (AP Photo/Douglas... (Associated Press)

(Newser)
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It will be at least three more days before the six coal miners trapped underground in Utah can be reached—and even then rescuers will have only a 2-inch hole to communicate with the miners, if any survived, and give them food or air. Rescue crews are only 310 feet closer to the miners 30 hours after the cave-in, the AP reports, and more than 1,500 feet remain.

A mine owner on the scene reiterated that an earthquake was to blame for the incident, and denied that workers had been engaged in “retreat mining”—a dangerous method that causes intentional collapses when pillars made of coal are removed. "The pillars were not being removed here at the time of the accident," he said. "There are eight solid pillars around where the men are right now."